The co-owner of Royal Gorge Rafting and Royal Gorge Vacation Rentals said today that the Parkdale Canyon Fire near Canon City erupted after the Royal Gorge Route train passed by.

“The train had just passed the north entrance of the Royal Gorge on the east side,” said rafting co-owner Jimmy Whiteside.

Whiteside said that as he and rafters watched, bushes ignited every 500 to 1,000 yards over a three-mile stretch next to the train tracks.

Whiteside said the Royal Gorge Route train had left Canon City at 12:30 p.m. Monday.

The fires started in the Royal Gorge about 1:13 p.m. Monday, said Whiteside, and he immediately called 911 to alert authorities.

Whiteside said he then called the other co-owner of his rafting company, who also called 911. Whiteside said he then called Mark Greska, owner of the Royal Gorge Route, to alert him to the fires.

The Royal Gorge Route had “no comment” on the fires today.

Whiteside said he helped extinguish about 40 yards of brush fire while other rafters tried to put out other fires.

Whiteside, whose business has been shut down because of the fires, is upset. Whiteside said that today alone he expects to lose $8,000 worth of business because of the ban on rafting.

He added that this is not the first time trains going through the gorge have started fires.

BLM spokeswoman Cass Cairns said that no official determination of the cause has been made.

Cairns said that the 700-acre fire has been 15 percent contained.

She said weather conditions were milder than predicted this morning, allowing firefighters to capitalize on containment efforts.

High winds had been expected this afternoon and tonight, but as of 9 p.m., the weather conditions had not changed.

Mike Bandera, the general manager of the Royal Gorge Bridge, said everyone is concerned about the weather forecast.

“The wind is supposed to be coming up and they (the firefighters) are on high alert for that,” he said.

Bandera said that Highway 3A, which leads to the Royal Gorge Bridge, the aerial tramway and the incline railroad, is closed because of the fire.

Bandera said this is the height of tourist season. The Royal Gorge Bridge and Park charges $25 per adult and $19 per child for access to the bridge, the incline railroad and other features.

The Royal Gorge facility sees about 2,500 visitors daily during the summer, said Bandera.

Bandera said the fire is about 1.5 miles away from the Royal Gorge complex, which contains about 30 structures including gift shops, food stands and the maintenance building. He said that should the fire get closer, a defensive perimeter will be established.

The Fremont County Sheriffs Department reported tonight that one home has been lost, and five others damaged. Several other businesses and homes are still threatened by the fire.

Cairns also said that Canon City-based Black Hills Energy is working on power lines damaged by the fire and restoring power to homes near the fire. Ed Norden, a Fremont County commissioner, said he was told that 90 homes near the fire, primarily in the Copper Gulch area, have lost their electricity.

A multitude of aircraft have been ordered to drop fire-retardant on the blaze.

Among the aircraft are two large helicopters and one small helicopter, one large airtanker, two single-engine airtankers, and a fixed-wing aircraft which will be used to direct the firefighting efforts of the other aircraft.

Cairns said that five firefighter crews and 21 engines are on on the scene. She said three more firefighter crews and additional engines have been ordered. A total of 175 fire personnel are assigned to the fire. Wednesday, 100 additional personnel will be added.

She said that fire managers met with Fremont County officials and decided to lift the evacuation for the area along the immediate corridor of U.S. 50 east of County Road 61.

However, Cairns stressed that the evacuation of the Parkdale area, west of County Road 61, remains.

Traffic along U.S. 50 is being permitted with one-way traffic guided by a pilot car.

The Royal Gorge Bridge, Buckskin Joe and KOA campground, and areas north of Highway 9, will remain closed until the fire no longer poses a threat to those areas, said Cairns. The Arkansas River through the Royal Gorge remains closed to rafting.

This online archive has been corrected. Due to erroneous information provided by a source, the original story incorrectly said a rafter saw sparks from a train create a fire. The man did try to put out flames after the train went by, but he did not see sparks.

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